Heathrow’s New Terminal to Hell

Since opening last Thursday, Heathrow’s new “state of the art” 5th terminal has seen nothing but problems. Nearly 300 British Airways flights have been canceled (so far) and thousands of pieces of luggage have been separated from their owners.

I think this opening has indeed changed the way some people will fly.

According to officials at Heathrow, the problem began when there were glitches in the high-tech baggage handling system.

However, in several radio interviews that I heard on NPR, the following were issues on opening day as well:

* Baggage handlers had nowhere to park as there were not enough spaces for them at the airport.
* Elevators were not working on opening day.
* There were no British Airway staff to let passengers know why flights had been delayed.

This is from the Heathrow website:
“At London Heathrow Terminal 5 we’ve created a natural, logical journey that’s so calm, you’ll flow through. It shouldn’t take long to get from Check-in to Departures. Transferring and arriving are just as simple and calm. Spend the time you save enjoying the excellent range of shops, cafes and restaurants. Or simply relax and be wowed by the world class architecture.”

How many people do you think were feeling relaxed this weekend when they couldn’t get to or from their destination??